“Meaning-Making in 21st Century Western Culture”

Margaret Placentra Johnston is the author of the award-winning book Faith Beyond Belief: Stories of Good People Who Left Their Church Behind. The topic of spiritual development theory is just one aspect of a new perspective emerging in our culture regarding religious belief and spirituality. The beliefs on which traditional religions were formed are losing credibility due to cultural changes. This challenges us to consider a more comprehensive appreciation of the timeless and universal human drive to find meaning and hope in the 21st century. The author will introduce concepts from her forthcoming book, Rx for Spiritual Myopia: an Eye Doctor’s Prescription for Seeing Beyond the Societal Ills of Our Time.

As a practicing Optometrist, Dr. Margaret Placentra Johnston has spent most of her professional career helping people see better in the physical world. But now she is on a new mission to offer clearer vision of a different kind – a broader perspective about religion and spirituality than what the conventional world typically recognizes.

Baltimore Ethical Society

The Baltimore Ethical Society is a humanistic religious fellowship. We focus on human lives and relationships and explore what it means to live ethically as individuals, family members, and participants in the larger community. We have no creeds and no doctrines, but we are united by our belief in the worth and dignity of each individual and our commitment to working together to create a more just, humane, and peaceful world.